SECOND WORLD WAR POSTCARDS

This page was last updated
11-Dec-2024 07:00

UNSERE WAFFEN SS - 373
OUR WAFFEN SS

This series of postcards was published by E.A. Schwerdtfeger (E.A.S) of Berlin and depicts elements of the Waffen SS in action. Each of these postcards is inscribed '373' in the top corner of the right-hand reverse pane. The top left-hand corner has the title of the series 'Unsere Waffen - SS' followed by the cards title. The bottom left-hand corner has the name of the photographer followed by the inscription 'Herausgegeben im Einvernehmen mit dem SS-Fuhrungs hauptamt' - 'Issued in agreement with the SS command main office'.

These postcards are unnumbered but there are 30 cards [1] in the series and below is a selection of what was available. There was another similar series by E.A.S which had the Series Number 374 in the top right-hand corner, it also consisted of 30 cards.

Since the cards are unnumbered, and so as not to cause confusion I have deferred to the numbering system used by Roth and Moonwheel [1], U01 to U30 for set 373 and U31 to U60 for set 374.

U01
ARTILLERIE VOR!
ARTILLERY FORWARD!

The image on this first card is of a Waffen-SS Sturmbannführer (equivalent to a major). His rank is denoted by the four silver 'pips' on the left collar of his tunic. He is carrying a pair of binoculars in his right hand and is barking orders at his subordinates. The cuff title on his left forearm indicates he is with the SS-Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler. Photo by war reporter Roth.

U02
DER SPÄHTRUPPFÜHRER
THE SCOUT LEADER

The soldier in this image is lying low surveying enemy lines. He has a pair of binoculars and a concentrated look on his face. Photograph by war reporter Baumann.

U03
WACHE AM DNJEPR
WATCH ON THE DNJEPR RIVER

Silhouetted against the setting sun this card features a soldier (SS-Rottenführer or Lance Corporal) on guard over the Dnjepr River. The Dnjepr is 2,201 Km long rising in the Valdai Hills in central Russia and flowing through Belarus and the Ukraine, finally reaching the Black Sea. The river is nicknamed the "River of Glory". The river flows through Smolensk, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and a number of other major cities in present day Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. Photograph by war reporter Hummel.

U04
STRAβENKAMPF
STREET FIGHT

With a S84/98 III bayonet fixed in his Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle, this SS-Unterscharführer (Sergeant) is positioned beside a door jam, after making his way through a bombed out building. Cover is provided in the foreground by a two-man Machinengewehr 34 crew well positioned in the rubble. Photograph by war reporter Augustin.

U05
MG. NACH VORN!
MACHINE GUN FORWARD!

The lead soldier carries a machine gun into a forward position, closely followed up by a comrade carrying the ammunition. Photograph by war reporter Zschäckel.

U06
MANN GEGEN SOWJETPANZER
MEN AGAINST A RUSSIAN TANK

Featured on this card are two German soldiers sneaking up behind a Soviet BA10 armoured car during an engagement somewhere on the Russian Steppes. From this position it is unlikely that the crew of the armoured car knew that the German soldiers were so close. It likely didn't end well for the crew of the BA10. Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U07
AUSSCHAU NACH DEM FEIND
LOOKING FOR THE ENEMY

The next card depicts a German soldier standing on the back of a tank surveying the Steppes through his binoculars, looking for signs of enemy activity. Photograph by war reporter Ege.

U08
SPÄHTRUPP IM KARELISCHEN WALD
SCOUTING TEAM IN THE KARELIAN FOREST

Waffen SS Infantry advance slowly, under the protection of a German Panzerkampfwagen III, through a Russian forest in the Karelian region. With a total of 5,700 produced, the PzKpfw III was the backbone of the German Panzer force during 1941 and 1942 and remained so until the emergence of larger, more powerful Allied tanks. With a crew of 5 the PzKpfw III had a range of 175 Km on the road or 100 Km off road, and a top speed of 40 or 20 Km/h respectively. Photograph by war reporter Nussbaumer.

U09
NACH HARTEM KAMPF GENOMMEN
TAKEN AFTER HARD FIGHT

This card shows a German Panzerjäger I self-propelled gun driving down a bombed damaged street (most likely somewhere in the Soviet Union), with two crew members keeping a sharp look out for the enemy. This vehicle consisted of a German made Panzerkampfwagen I Ausf. B chassis with a Czech designed 4.7 cm Pak 36(t) gun. After the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938 Germany was able to gain access to some pretty cool Czech military hardware, much of which it quickly adapted for its own purposes. With a crew of 3 and a range of 140 Km on roads or 95 Km off road, the Panzerjäger I could reach a top speed of 40 Km/h. Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U10
PANZER GREIFEN AN
TANKS ATTACK

A close up view of a tank commander holding his binoculars and directing his troops forward. Photograph by war reporter Wiegand.

U11
PANZERSPAHWAGEN NACH DEM EINSATZ
ARMORED CAR AFTER DEPLOYMENT

An SS soldier, dressed in the distinctive black uniform worn by the Panzer divisions, scouts the horizon from his elevated vantage point. The vehicle is probably a Sd.Kfz.232 Funkspähwagen or armoured reconnaissance car armed with a simple ball-mounted 7.92 mm Rheinmetall Maschinengewehr 34 machine gun in the front right-hand side of the superstructure (clearly visible in this image). In addition, there were five pistol ports for individual weapons, like MP 40s, one of which can also be seen in this image. There doesn't appear to be any unit markings, but this type of vehicle was used by the 5th SS Panzer Division 'Wiking' in Russia during 1941. Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U12
PANZERSPÄHWAGEN VOR!
ARMOURED SCOUT CAR FORWARD!

The following postcard depicts two German reconnaissance vehicles near a road. In the foreground is the larger Schwerer Panzerspähwagen Sd. Kfz. 231 (8-rad) which was very similar to the Sd.Kfz.232 only without the additional radio antennae. The vehicle in the background is a SdKfz 222 armoured car. This SdKfz 222 whilst performing well on paved roads, was not so effective in the Russian mud or the African deserts and only 990 vehicles were produced. It carried a 2 cm KwK 30 L/55 cannon and an MG13 machine gun and included a crew of 3 men. Photograph by war reporter Neumann.



The unit insignia on the vehicle in the foreground, a skeleton key inside a white shield indicates this vehicle was part of the 1st SS Panzer Division "Liebstandarte SS Adolf Hitler". The 1st SS Panzer Division is known for numerous war crimes and atrocities mostly carried out on the eastern front but also in Malmedy.

U13
VORAUSABTEILUNG IM KAMPF
ADVANCE DEPARTMENT IN COMBAT

Pictured on this card is an armoured car and light artillery PAK crew outside a small town. The insignia above the right rear wheel and mudflap is the insignia of the 5th SS Panzer Division "Wiking". Photograph by war reporter Hummel.

U14
SOWJETSTRAβE
SOVIET ROAD

Slowed down by the spring rasputitsa (seasonal mud) this card depicts a German motorcyclist struggling to get his machine through the thick, choking mud. The mud and the freezing temperatures did as much to defeat the German Army as did the Soviet defenders, especially in that terrible winter of 1941. Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U15
KRADSCHÜTZEN IM SÜDEN
MOTORCYCLE PROTECTION IN THE SOUTH

A motorcycle unit moves forward around the winding country roads. Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U16
AUS MEβGERÄTE
FROM MEASURING INSTRUMENTS

A Waffen-SS soldier uses a range finder to determine the distance to the enemy. Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U17
IM KAMPF UM EIN SOWJETDORF
IN THE FIGHT FOR A SOVIET VILLAGE

SS troops in the foreground prepare to attack a Soviet village after an artillery bombardment. The soldier on the right is looking through binoculars for a close-up view of the village. Two other soldiers in the foreground man an MG-34 medium machine gun. The fourth soldier is using a range finder to determine the distance to the enemy. Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U18
FLA BEIM ERDKAMPF
FLAK IN MARTIAL COMBAT

Another Waffen-SS artillery team in action, this time firing a 8.8 cm Fliegerabwehrkanone (Flak 18). You can see the wheels of the gun carriage used to move the gun around but the SdKfz 7 half-track used to tow the carriage is not visible in this picure. Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U19
SCHWERE ARTILLERIE BEIM FAUERN
HEAVY ARTILLERY FIRING

A German artillery unit shells the enemy from an elevated position with its heavy weapons, in this case the 15 cm Schwere Feldhaubitze (sFH18), the backbone of the German medium artillery. This gun required a crew of 5 and had an effective range of 13 Km (8 miles). Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U20
ARTILLERIE IN EINER PAβSTRAβE
ARTILLERY IN A PASSING ROAD

German soldiers of the Waffen-SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler Division fire their artillery in the mountains of Greece, 1941. This time they are firing the 10.5 cm leichte feldhaubitze fh18, from a dusty mountain road. This was a heavy gun and was less accurate than those used by the Russians.

U21
ARTILLERIE IM OSTEN
ARTILLERY IN THE EAST

Even if the depths of a Russian winter the troops stand ready to resume the fighting after a brief lull in the action. Photograph by war reporter Neumann.

U22
FLA BEIM ERDBESCHUβ
FLAK EARTH SHOT

Another Waffen-SS artillery team in action firing an 8.8 cm Fliegerabwehrkanone (Flak 18). Photograph by war reporter Roth.

U23
STURMPIONIERE SCHLAGEN EINE BRESCHE
STORM PIONEERS MAKE A BREACH

Two members of a Pioneer unit take cover in a fox hole while they clear a path through the enemy's barbed wire defences. The photo was taken by war reporter Slapak.

U24
VOLLE DECKUNG
FULL COVERAGE

This card depicts two Waffen-SS soldiers lying low under an artillery attack. The photograph was taken by war reporter Baumann.

U25
FLIEGERDECKUNG
TAKE COVER FROM THE AIR

A Waffen SS unit takes cover in the long grass as enemy aircraft patrol above. Photograph by war reported Zschäckel.

U26
FUNKTRAPP NIMMT STELLUNGSWECHSEL VOR
WIRELESS OPERATORS CHANGE POSITION

Two members of a Waffen SS signals team change to a new position. This card clearly shows the patterned camouflage jacket that was only worn by the Waffen SS, not by soldiers operating with regular army units. Photograph by war reporter Waldbach.

U27
EINE WICHTIGE MELDUNG
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE

Another image of a two-man signals team reporting enemy position back to HQ. Photograph by war reporter Wieselbach

U28
MIT DEM FLOβSACK ZUM FLUβ
WITH THE INFLATABLE BOAT TO THE RIVER

Carrying an inflatable boat was not a job for one man, here a team of soldiers carry their boat to the river. Photograph by war reported Zschäckel.

U29
MIT FLOβSÜCKEN ÜBER DEN FLUβ
WITH RAFTS ACROSS THE RIVER

German troops take to their inflatable boats to cross a river, probably on the Eastern Front. Photograph by war reporter Weill.

U30
PAK SETZT ÜBER EINEN KANAL
PAK CARRIED ACROSS THE RIVER

The final card in the 373 series shows German troops carrying an light anti-tank gun across a river, again by inflatable boat. Photograph by Zschäckel.

REFERENCES

1. Postcards of the Waffen SS Series Cards by Matthew Roth and J. Moonwheel ISBN: 0-976516-50-0